Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Damaged Goods - Jack Everett and David Coles




Newly promoted Detective Inspector Stewart White starts off his career in Leeds with a seemingly random assortment of crimes. A rest area murder. A pub brawl. A missing person. 

As the deadly crime spree escalates, White receives a chilling call from a Florida sheriff. A psychotic Special Forces veteran, Robert Cleghorn, has murdered his brother, assumed his identity—and is believed to be looking for his brother’s vacationing wife in England. 

Expertly trained to eliminate potential threats to his mission while covering his tracks, Cleghorn quickly proves to be just as elusive as his sister-in-law. Can D.I. White and his newly assigned police team find Stephanie Cleghorn before Robert does?


About the authors



                                          




We're the two halves of the writing team: David Coles and Jack Everett, aka Everett Coles.
We have been writing f&sf, thrillers, adventures and historical mystery since we got together in the 1970s - a mixture of genres which reflect our varied interests.
In fact, as Jack likes to say, we are the only writers to write crime in the past, the present and the future.

Damaged Goods… http://authl.it/B00QELYW76?d

My Review


A really gripping opening sets the scene for the rest of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller where we know from the start who the serial psychopath is. The tension is in watching the police and the FBI try to catch him and find his next victim before he does. The character of Robert is very detailed and his memory loss is fascinating. Don’t want to say any more and spoil it but if you like crime, thrillers or suspense then you won’t be disappointed.  The newly promoted Detective Inspector is also worth a mention. Totally believable characters and locations in the North of England and across the pond make this one to watch out for! I can easily see this as a television series.

5/5



Sunday, 21 December 2014

Fairytale in New York

             


                                                                             

New York. A restaurant near Park Avenue. It’s early evening, and dusk is falling. So is the snow. Jude and Carrie are only killing time while they wait for their flight to London. They don’t know yet that their life will never be the same.

When rock star Jude gets stranded in New York with his family on Christmas Eve, he has no idea that he is setting in motion a chain of events that will turn their Christmas into the most magical one yet…

No good deed goes unpunished, or so it seems to Jude and Carrie on the morning of the twenty-fourth of December. The previous day, they gave up their London-bound flights to someone in crisis. And now, a spectacular whiteout is grounding all planes, and Jude, Carrie, and baby Maya are stuck far from home.

Tired, hungry, and just a little panicked, Jude loads his family into a cab and returns to their hotel. But there’s no room at the inn, and not even a platinum credit card will make a difference. Snow is falling heavily, and the family is facing a very bleak night indeed.

How do you celebrate Christmas with no place to stay, no food, and no presents? Join Jude, Carrie, Maya and a cast of colourful characters in this fairy tale story of Yuletide in New York.


Fairy Tale in New York is now available in Kindle and paperback editions from all Amazon domains, including: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Spirits Of Christmas by Nicky Wells

 

Spirits of Christmas: A Rock’n’Roll Christmas Carol

At one time, up-and-coming rock singer Jude had it all: a great band, a platinum record, a loving girlfriend. This Christmas, however, he is well down the road towards spontaneous self-destruction.

Unwitting at first, Jude has progressively alienated his band and driven away the love of his life. Tonight, the night before Christmas Eve, he has broken the final taboo during a disastrous gig. Yet Jude doesn’t see how badly his life has derailed, not until a ghostly procession of legends passes through his bedroom with a series of vivid and powerful wake-up calls.

Will the Spirits help Jude put the friendship, love, and rock music back into his Christmas?

Spirits of Christmas is a modern-day rock’n’roll adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. This novella will enchant romance readers, rock lovers, fans of ghost stories, and everybody who adores the festive season.


About Nicky Wells



About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Ultimate rock chick author Nicky Wells writes romance with rock stars—because there’s no better romantic hero than a golden-voiced bad boy with a secret soft heart and a magical stage presence!

Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous romance with rock stars—imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity, you’ll connect with Nicky’s heroes and their leading ladies.

Born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor at Siren 107.3 FM with her own monthly show. Rock on!



Did you know? There’s a single out now by Nicky’s fictional rock band Tuscq come to life! “Love Me Better” is available for download from Amazon, iTunes and many other places.


My Review

When Jude does a good turn for someone he inadvertently finds himself stranded in New York with his wife and baby at Christmas. This is such a lovely book as we go on a magical journey that turns a Christmas disaster into the best Christmas ever. I read this book in one sitting as I couldn’t bear to put it down and went to sleep with a little glow of happiness as a result. The only problem now, Nicky Wells, is that I really, really want to go to New York!!!
Beautifully written, this book is one that you will want to read again and again. I have the feeling it’s going to become a  Christmas classic.

5/5




Thursday, 4 December 2014

The Black Madonna of Derby




Joanna Czechowska was born in Derby, the daughter of a Polish father, who was an RAF pilot during the war, and an English mother. She studied history at UCL and Birkbeck College, University of London. She has worked in London as a journalist for 30 years and is currently Book Review Editor for Woman magazine. 



The Black Madonna of Derby is a novel about three generations of a Polish immigrant family living in England in the 1960s and 1970s. The story moves between the provincial town of Derby to London then Warsaw and Krakow in Poland as the family deal with two cultures, secrets from the past, tragedy and ultimately redemption. It was originally published in Poland in Polish under the title Goodbye Polsko and the sequel Sweetest Enemy came out in 2012.

Debi Alper said, 'Intelligently written, with a wry and gentle humour, The Black Madonna of Derby provides a vivid and topical insight into three generations of a Polish immigrant family as they struggle to find a balance between two cultures.'


My Review



I was intrigued to read this story as it recounts the history of a Polish family moving to Derby in the 1960s. The author brought back many memories of my time in Poland as well as developing some fantastic characters. In fact, it is almost like reading a fascinating memoir and whilst the author has drawn on her own experiences it is difficult at times to believe this is fiction. If you’re looking for a well-written heartwarming story that will move you to tears as well as smile then this is for you. I loved the evocation of the era and this book deserves to reach a wider audience.

4.5/5